Little Things Add Up to Millions
Heal Your Life Blog
Little Things Add Up to Millions
If everyone on the planet used just ONE package of recycled paper napkins instead of regular ones, this act alone could save about a million trees.
The same is true for disposable water bottles. About 60 million plastic bottles were thrown away last year. There is no such thing as away. Anything you dispose of has to go somewhere. It also takes about one liter of oil to manufacture and transport just 3 disposable liter-size water bottles. If we all used a reusable stainless or glass water bottle, we could save millions of gallons of petroleum each year. Less need for petroleum, less need for nuclear power plants, less likelihood of oil spills or nuclear accidents.
Here's my Top 10 list for the little things you can do today to start sending out positive ripples of healing into your family, community, nation, and planet. And the really good news is that most all of these end up being economically smart —as well as environmentally wise
TOP 10 TO-DO’S FOR EARTH DAY
- Tune up your bike and ride it whenever possible—instead of driving. You're saving gas, getting fit, not polluting the Earth, and you’re also lowering our reliance on imported foreign oil.
- Make a commitment—No Disposable Plastic Water Bottles or Plastic Bags! The irony is that most bottled water is just tap water. And, keeping it stored in petroleum plastic doesn't add to water’s natural life-giving properties. You’re much better off health-wise and dollar-wise to use your own glass or stainless container. And, add a home water filter for extra measure. If everyone brought their own reusable bag to the store, we'd save millions of discarded plastic shopping bags from ending up as litter on land or floating at sea where they can be mistaken as food by an unlucky fish or sea turtle.
- Green your lighting. No More Incandescent Lights! Edison’s 100-year-old invention is nothing more than a white hot heater that emits a very small percentage of light as a byproduct. Try out the new mercury free LED lights that will last for 10-20 years.
- Kill Power Vampires. Many appliances, especially electronics like TV's and computers, leak electricity 24/7—even when they're turned off. This costs energy and money.
- It takes 19 full size nuclear power plants to run the Power Vampires in the US alone! Pick up a Smart Power Strip that will automatically kill the Power Vampires when you turn off' an appliance.
- Use non-toxic soaps and shampoos. What you flush down the drain goes into Nature somewhere. There is no away. Support products and companies that use organic, safe ingredients. Stop supporting unconscious consumerism that contains toxic substances that aren't healthful for us or for the planet.
- Use concentrated detergents that need less plastic bottles and less transportation. These often cost less than their diluted counterparts.
- Make a commitment to eat less commercial meat. Factory farms aren't healthy for us or our planet. Animals are often pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones and their waste ends up in our waterways where it wreaks havoc on fish and shellfish. If you do choose to buy meats, look for local organic sources or choose bison or ostrich. These two hardy animals can live in a natural environment without much added feed or pharmaceuticals.
- Try safe seafood. Many of our oceans are being clear cut of sea-life to satisfy our global appetite for fresh seafood. You can support sustainable fishing practices by choosing species on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch site. Wild-caught Pacific sardines (full of healthy Omega-3 oil) and farmed oysters are top choices that have lower contamination than other fish. (Heavy metals like mercury and lead are cumulative—so the bigger the fish the more heavy metal toxins.)
- Go Paperless whenever possible. Set up automatic bill-paying online. And, get off junk mail lists.
Our Planet Earth is alive. Humanity is alive. Our choices are like pebbles tossed in a cosmic pond, each one sending out distinct vibrational rings of energy. As we make better, healthier choices for our planet, we ultimately make healthier choices for ourselves, our children and all living beings.
As Gandhi said, Be the change that you wish to see in the world. In other words, Change your Personal world, and the World changes.